SAN DIEGO, CA – OCTOBER 21: Rahshead Johnson #8 of the San Jose State Spartans is tackled by Kyahva Tezino #44 of the San Diego State Aztecs during the first half of a game at Qualcomm Stadium on October 21, 2016 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

SAN JOSE — San Jose State coach Ron Caragher likes the way his team is trending.

The Spartans (3-6, 2-3 Mountain West) played a clean game with zero turnovers in Saturday’s 30-24 win over UNLV. It was the third consecutive game SJSU has played without a turnover, a stretch that has not been duplicated by a Spartans team since 1998. If SJSU is going to have any chance to win at Boise State (7-1, 3-1) on Friday night, that will have to continue.

“It’s no coincidence we’ve won the turnover battle the last three weeks and won two of those three games,” Caragher said Monday at his weekly news conference. “We always preach to our guys that we need to protect the football. I’ll take a sack any day over just throwing the football up for grabs. That’s a streak we’re going to look to build upon.”

Kenny Potter bounced back from an ugly performance at San Diego State by completing 24 of 39 for 292 yards and two touchdowns. It was Potter’s first game with multiple touchdown passes since a 48-41 loss on Oct. 1 at New Mexico. Caragher said that type of performance will be required in a game against a high-powered offense like Boise State, which is averaging 33.5 points per game.

“The quarterback is always the first to be scrutinized, but I felt the San Diego State game was a collective struggle,” Caragher said of a 42-3 loss to the Aztecs on Oct. 21. “This week the offensive line did a good job giving him protection. During practice he worked on staying in the pocket and maintaining good footwork. Kenny was very productive running and throwing the ball.”

Boise State is coming off a surprising 30-28 loss at Wyoming. While the defeat probably shattered Boise’s dream of playing in a New Year’s Day bowl, Caragher is not expecting the Broncos to have any type of hangover from the upset loss. The Spartans are 0-12 all-time against Boise State.

“They’ve got good players across the board. A well-balanced football team,” Caragher said. “We’re going to need to play on a very high level for four quarters.”

While the Spartans are a 26.5-point underdog heading into Boise, Caragher pointed out the offense being healthy for the first time all season is a reason for optimism heading into the final three games.

“Early on in the season, the Utah and Iowa State games were physical with tough injuries that forced us to shuffle the lineup,” Caragher said. “The first game with everyone back was at San Diego and I think it took the guys some time to adjust in that game. Hopefully with this core intact for the final three games we can finish the year strong.”

Brent Brennan, who grew up in a San Jose State home (both parents attended the school), was introduced Thursday as the Spartans’ new head coach. He has a lengthy to-do list and must attempt to engage an indifferent fan base.